This photo series was created during a five-week mission in August 2024 aboard a civilian rescue ship in the central Mediterranean. It captures both the quiet and intense moments of the mission – from the activists’ involvement in rescue operations to the experiences of those fleeing across the sea, and the hours that follow. For those rescued, the moment they are brought on board marks their first experience of safety. Boarding the ship ends the immediate threat to their lives, but uncertainty remains. For the first time in months or even years on the run, their protective instincts no longer need to be on high alert. And yet, as relief sets in, questions that had been suppressed in the name of survival begin to surface: What will happen once we reach the mainland? While most of us associate the future with hope and planning, the people on board know that their future is no longer in their own hands. From this point on, it will be decided by others. The images reflect this moment of transition – the delicate line between fear and relief, between external control and the attempt to reclaim one’s agency over the future.